5 Ways to Learn About Medicare Online
Online learning is more common now than ever before. In fact, according to Martech Zone, 82% of Baby Boomers use the internet to learn about a particular topic. Today, you can go online to learn just about anything, including Medicare.
For example, you can read Medicare articles, attend online classes and webinars, or even watch videos on YouTube, to name a few. However, no matter the platform you use to learn about Medicare online, you’ll want to verify that you’re learning from a trusted expert on the topic.
Medicare articles and blogs
You can find thousands of websites dedicated to Medicare topics when you browse the Internet. Unfortunately, anyone can create a website and publish content on just about any topic. You need to be careful about which websites you trust for information about Medicare.
First, look for SiteLock logos on these sites and make sure the URL contains “HTTPS” at the beginning rather than just “HTTP.” This means the website uses secure technology. Another way to guarantee you aren’t visiting a malicious website is by hovering over the link prior to clicking it to make sure it will take you to a legitimate site.
Once you’ve confirmed the site is safe, make sure the content is provided by a Medicare expert. Medicare experts often hold specific accreditations, such as a Medicare Supplement Accreditation, National Social Security Certification, and National Association of Health Underwriters membership. Keep these things in mind before you trust Medicare content.
Online Medicare seminars
In the past, many employers have offered in-person seminars to teach their soon-to-be-retired employees about Medicare. However, not only do these not happen as often as they used to, but they are also often incomplete and leave you with unanswered questions. Online seminars, also known as webinars, are a great way to learn about Medicare online.
Many Medicare webinars are free but some charge a fee. Generally, the free ones are just as informative as the paid ones, so don’t feel like you need to type in a credit card number to attend a helpful webinar. Also, many live webinars offer a time towards the end for you to ask the instructor any questions you may have. This part of the webinar alone could be enough reason to attend.
Online Medicare courses
One drawback about webinars is that they can be lengthy and only accessed at specific times. A great alternative to webinars is an online Medicare course if you’d rather access the information on your own terms. Online courses come in many forms, such as email, video, or both.
Online courses are great for breaking up information into bite-sized pieces, allowing you to digest it at your own rate. Like webinars, you may be able to find both paid and free Medicare courses online. Depending on the instructor, a free course is likely to be just as beneficial as a paid course.
Medicare YouTube videos
YouTube is possibly the most visited site for learning something new online. You can learn just about anything from watching a few YouTube videos. Medicare is no different. There are many YouTube videos dedicated to teaching you everything you need to know about Medicare.
However, just like finding a trustworthy website is vital for articles, you’ll want to make sure you find a channel on YouTube hosted by a Medicare expert. You may not be able to find accreditations as easily on YouTube as you can on expert’s website, so check the following clues: the number of subscribers they have, the number of views each of their videos get, if their videos show up on the first page of the search results, and if the content is easy to understand.
Medicare PDFs and infographics
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) have numerous PDFs that can teach you a lot about Medicare. PDFs are a great way to learn online since you can download and save them to your device for future use.
Infographics are generally vertical images that display a wealth of information on a topic in a graphic design. Infographics will be great for you if you’re a more visual learner. You can also download and save these helpful graphics to your device if you’d like to refer to them later.
When to start your online Medicare education
It’s generally recommended you start learning about Medicare at least six months before your 65th birthday. Beginning this early gives you plenty of time to nail down the basics of Medicare as well as which type of plans will likely work for you, even if you plan to work past 65 and delay Medicare enrollment.
Start with the basics of Medicare and once you’ve grasped Original Medicare, move on to Medicare plans. You should also consider researching Medicare brokers to help you with your Medicare journey.
